Personality, confidence, enthusiasm, a positive outlook and excellent interpersonal and

communication skill s count heavily.

One last great tip about the actua l inte rvie w: ALWAYS end the inte rvie w
with, "I am very inte rested in the position. What are the next steps to
take?" Boy, are you eager. They'd be luc ky to have you!

1. Tell me about yourself OR Who really you are?

In a concise two minutes reply, you might talk about your education and work
experience, bridging into why you are right for the projec t. You should include a sentence
that will make you memorable. Keep it mostly work and career related.

Here is an example from a person with recent training but little experience:

"I have over two years of training in this field and know about all the latest
equipment and methods. That means I can get right to work and be productive
almost right away. I am also willing to work hard to learn new things. During the
entire time I went to school, I worked a full-time job to help earn the tuition. I
learned to work hard and concentrate on what was important. I expect to do the
same thing here. Since I won't be going to school now, I plan on putting in extra
time after regular work hours to learn anything this job needs."

2. What can you do for us?

The interviewer is seeking evidence that you researched the company.

3. What are the good qualities in you? What are your major strengths?

Personal Qualities
1. Motivation

 Motivation to achieve success

 Capacity to continue to learn from experience and
self- management
 Open-minded towards change and ready acceptance
of new ideas

2. Emotional stability
  Ability to cope with difficulty and frustration and
retain emotional balance
 Inclination to take a positive view under adverse
situations
 Not being subject to continuous anxiety and tension
 Ability to deal with situation and hardship in an
impersonal constructive and detached manner when
required.

Try to give example for whatever quality you explain.

Response Options

. Be specific

. Be positive

. Be objective and realistic

Adaptability: Even Under pressure accept things as normal.

Responsibility and Enthusiasm: Winners make it happen, while losers let life happen to
them.

High energy level? Enthusiasm?

Assertiveness (confidently aggressive or self-assured; forceful; dogmatic.)

Decisiveness Maturity Social Sensitivity Results Tough mindness

Here is one answer from a person who had little prior expe rience:

"I think one of them is that you can depend on me. I work very hard to meet
deadlines and don't need a lot of supervision in doing it. If I don't know what to
do, I don't mind asking either. In high school I got a solid B-plus average even
though I was very involved in sports. I always got my assignments in on time and
somehow found the time to do extra credit work, too."

4. Which adjectives would you use to describe yourself?

Answer with positive, work-oriented adjectives, such as conscientious, hard-working,
honest and courteous, plus a brief description or example of why each fits you well.
5. What are the bad qualities in you? What is the area you need most
improvement in?
Always try to show that you profited from your mistake.
Everybody has weaknesses, but don't spend too much time on this one and keep it work
related. Along with a minor weakness or two, try to point out a couple of weaknesses
that the interviewer might see as strengths, such as sometimes being a little too
meticulous about the quality of your work. (Avoid saying "I work too hard." It's a
predictable, common answer.) For every weakness, offer a strength that compensates
for it.

Sometimes I have a hard time saying no to people, and I end up taking on more
than my share of work

Sample response:

"I do have some weaknesses. For example, in previous jobs I would get
annoyed with co-workers who did not work as hard as I did. I sometimes said 'no'
to them and several times refused to do their work when they asked me to."

"But I have learned to deal with this better. I still work hard, but I let the
supervisor deal with another worker problem. And I have gained some skills as a
supervisor myself. I have learned to motivate others to do more because they want
to, not because I want them to."

6. What type of boss do you like?

"A competent and strong leader I can learn from, who will let me take chance, coach me
and be critical of me when I need it"

7 What past accomplishments gave you satisfaction? What are your significant
achievements?

A. Briefly describe one to three work projects that made you proud or earned you pats
on the back, promotions, raises, etc. Focus more on achievement than reward.

8. What past accomplishme nts gave you satisfaction?

A. Briefly describe one to three work projects that made you proud or earned you pats
on the back, promotions, raises, etc. Focus more on achievement than reward.

9. What makes you want to work hard?

A. Naturally, material rewards such as perks, salary and benefits come into play. But
again, focus more on achievement and the satisfaction you derive from it.

“I enjoy working in my field. I see myself growing in it and contributing to the

growth of the company I am working for. “

10. What type of work environment do you like best? What interests you most
about this position?

A. Tailor your answer to the job. For example, if in doing your job you're required to
lock the lab doors and work alone, then indicate that you enjoy being a team player
when needed, but also enjoy working independently. If you're required to attend
regular project planning and status meetings, then indicate that you're a strong team
player and like being part of a team.

11. What salary you are looking for? How much salary do you expect?

Never bring salary into focus unless you are pressed on it. Don't tell too high that would
affect the company project and don't tell too low tat would show lack of skills in you.

Response Options

. Never discuss salary until you are being offered the job

. know the probable salary range

. Bracket your salary range

If you think the employer pays between $14,000 and $16,000/month, state
your range said to upper teens?

Salary requirements

Employer's pay Your say

$50/hour $50 to $70 /month
$13,000/month low to mid tens of thousands

12. Why do you want to work he re?

Avoid the predictable, such as, "Because it's a great company." Say why you think it's a
great company.
12. Why do you want to leave your current job? (Why did you leave your last job?)
A. Be careful with this. Avoid trashing other employers and making statements like, "I
need more money." Instead, make generic statements such as, "It's a career move."

13. What do you know about our company?

14 .Why do you want to work he re?

Avoid the predictable, such as, "Because it's a great company." Say why you think it's a
great company.

15. Why should I hire you? What makes you suitable for this position?
A. Point out your positive attributes related to the job, and the good job you've done in
the past. Include any compliments you've received from management.

Response Options

Show how you can:

. Solve a problem for them

. Help the business make more money

. Provide something of value they need

16. Why do you want this job?

A. To help you answer this and related questions, study the job ad in advance. But a job
ad alone may not be enough, so it's okay to ask questions about the job while you're
answering. Say what attracts you to the job. Avoid the obvious and meaningless, such
as, "I need a job."

17. How do you handle pressure and stress?

A. This is sort of a double whammy, because you're likely a lready stressed from the
interview and the interviewer can see if you're handling it well or not. Everybody feels
stress, but the degree varies. Saying that you whine to your shrink, kick your dog or slam
down a fifth of Jack Daniels are not good answers. Exercising, relaxing with a good
book, socializing with friends or turning stress into productive energy are more along the
lines of the "correct" answers. Even Under pressure I accept things as normal.
18. Explain how you overcame a major obstacle.
A. The interviewer is likely looking for a particular example of your problem-solving
skills and the pride you show for solving it.

19. Where do you see yourself five (ten or fifteen) years from now? OR
How long do you plan to stay at our company?
A. Explain your career-advancement goals that are in line with the job for which you are
interviewing. Your interviewer is likely more interested in how he, she or the
company will benefit from you achieving your goals than what you'll get from it, but
it goes hand in hand to a large degree. It's not a good idea to tell your potential new
boss that you'll be going after his or her job, but it's okay to mention that you'd like to
earn a senior or management position.

20. What qualifies you for this job?

A. Tout your skills, experience, education and other qualifications, especially those that
match the job description well. Avoid just regurgitating your resume. Explain why.

21. Why did you choose your college major?

A. The interviewer is likely fishing to see if you are interested in your field of work or
just doing a job to get paid. Explain why you like it. Besides your personal interests,
including some rock-solid business reasons might show you have vision and business
sense.

22. Talk for 3 minutes on any topic.

23. How would you react if I told you that your inte rvie w, so far, was terrible?

24. What is the worst thing you have heard about our company?

25. What was the last book you read or the last movie you saw
and how did it affect you?

26. I'm still not really sure if you are suitable for this job. What do you think?

27. Tell me about a time that you failed at something, and what you did afterwards

28. Think back to a situation in which you had to resolve a conflict. Tell me how you
did it.

29. Tell me about a project that you had either at work or school. Describe in detail
how you managed it and what was the outcome?

30. What do you do in your spare time?

31. What salary are you expecting?

32. What othe r types of jobs or companies are you considering?

33. Have you any questions for us?

Toward the end of most job interviews, the interviewer will give you the opportunity to ask
questions. You must ask a least one question; to do otherwise often signals the interviewer that
you don't really have any interest in the job or the company. On the other hand, do not ask
questions where the ans wer is obvious or readily available -- or when the topic has already been
thoroughly discussed in the interview. And never ask about salary and beneift issues until those
subjects are raised by the employer.

So what follows are just some examples of the types of questions you might ask at a job
interview:

Can you describe a typical day for someone in this position?

What is the top priority of the person who accepts this job?
What are the day-to-day expectations and responsibilities of this job?
How will my leadership responsibilities and performance be measured? And by whom?
How often?
Can you describe the company’s management style?
Can you discuss your take on the company’s corporate culture?
What are the company’s values ?
How would you characterize the management philosophy of this organization? Of your
department?
What is the organization’s policy on transfers to other divisions or other offices?
Are lateral or rotational job moves available?
Does the organization support ongoing training and education for employ ees to stay
current in their fields ?
What do you think is the greatest opportunity facing the organization in the near fut ure?
The biggest threat?
Why did you come to work here? What keeps you here?
How is this department perceived within the organization?
Is there a formal process for advancement within the organization?
What are the traits and skills of people who are the most successful within the
organization?

31.What is the best part of working at this company for you?

32.Are there significant opportunities to take seminars, classes, etc. to learn more
about the diffe rent facets of the company?

33.What is your ultimate career goal?

34.What separates you from other candidates

35. Why don't you tell me about your personal situation?

Inte rvie wer wants to know:
. can you be counted on?

36. What difficult problems have you faced in the past? How did you solve the m?
37. Your department manager is on leave. The manager of another department tells
you that there is a very important project which needs additional help. He asks you
to help. But you are working on a project which your own manager has asked you to
do before he left. How would you handle this situation?

38. How does your expe rience relate to the job are you applying to?

39. How does your previous experience relate to the jobs we have here?

Here is an example of how one person handled this situation:

"As you know, I have over five years of experience in a variety of jobs. While
this job is in a different industry, it requires my same skills in managing people
and meeting in the public. In fact, my daily contact with large numbers of people
on previous jobs has taught me how to handle things under pressure. I feel very
able to deal with pressure and to get the job done."

One of the jobs this person had was a customer service officer. He had to learn
to handle people under pressure in such a job. By presenting the skills he used, his
answer tells us he could use the same skills in other jobs.

40. What are your future plans?

This question is really asking whether you are likely to remain on the job. But an
employer has many concerns, depending on your situation.

Try to put yourself in a employer place, then answer the real question. Try to
bring up anything in your own life situation that some employers might be
concerned about.

41. What are the most important rewards you expect to gain from your career?

41. Why did you choose thi s career?

“I enjoy working in my field. I see myself growing in it and contributing to the

growth of the company I am working for. “
 Test Yourself

1. By providing examples, convince me that you can adapt to a wide variety of people, situations
and environments.

2. Describe the most significant or creative presentation that you have had to complete.

3. Give an example of how you applied knowledge from previous coursework to a project in
another class.

4. Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your
ideas. What did you do?

5. Describe a situation in which you found that your results were not up to your professor's or
supervisor's expectations. What happened? What action did you take?
6. What was the most complex assignment you have had? What was your role?

7. How was your transition from high school to college? Did you face any particular problems?

8. Compare and contrast the times when you did work which was above the standard with times
your work was below the standard.

9. How have you differed from your professors in evaluating your performance? How di d you
handle the situation?

10. Describe some projects or ideas (not necessarily your own) that were implemented, or carried
out successfully primarily because of your efforts.

11. Describe a situation that required a number of things to be done at the same time. How did
you handle it? What was the result?
12. Tell of a time when your active listening skills really paid off for you - maybe a time when
other people missed the key idea being expressed.

13. Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with.
Why was this person difficult? How did you handle that person?

14. Give me a specific example of something you did that helped build enthusiasm in others?

15. Tell me about a difficult situation when it was desirable for you to k eep a positive attitude.
What did you do?

16. Give me an example of a time you had to make an import ant decision. How did you make the
decision? How does it affect you today?

17. Give me an example of a time you had to pers uade other people to take action. Were you
successful?
18. Describe a specific problem you solved for your employer or professor. How did you approach
the problem? What role did others play ? What was the outcome?

19. Describe a time when you got co-workers or classmates who dislike each other to work
together. How did you accomplish this? What was the outcome?

20. Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a co-worker or classmate understand
a task. How did you assist him or her? What was the res ult?

Test yourself part 2

1. How would you describe yourself?

2. Please describe the ideal job for you following graduation.

3. At what point did did you choose this career?

4. If you could do so, how would you plan your college career differently?

5. What motivates you to put forth you greatest effort?

6. Given the investment our company will mak e in hiring and training you, can you give us a
reason to hire you?

7. What do you expect to be doing in five years?

8. Have you ever had difficulty with a supervisor or instructor? How did you resolve the conflict?
9. What personal weakness has caused you the greatest difficulty in school or on the job?

10. What level of compensation would it take to make you happy?

11. What are your standards of success in school? What have you done to meet these
standards?

12. Give examples of your experiences at school or in a j ob that were satisfying. Give examples
of your experiences that were dissatisfying.

13. Have you found any ways to make school or a job easier or more rewarding or to make
yourself more effective?

14. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult person. How did you handle the
situation?
15. Tell me about a time you had to handle multiple responsibilities. How did you organize the
work you needed to do?

16. Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision, but didn't have all the information you
needed.

17. What is the biggest mistake you've made?

18. Describe a situation in which you had to us e reference materials to write a research paper.
What was the topic? What journals did you read?

19. Give me a specific example of a time when a co-worker or classmate criticized your work in
front of others. How did you respond? How has that event shaped the way you communicate with
others?

20. Give me a specific example of a time when you sold your supervisor or professor on an idea
or concept. How did you proceed? What was the result?
Test yourself Part 3 (109 question
Tests)
1. How would you describe yourself?
2. What specific goals, including those related to your occupation, have you established for
your life?
3. How has your college experienc e prepared you for a business career?
4. Please describe the ideal job for you following graduation.
5. What influenced you to choose this career?
6. At what point did you choos e this career?
7. What specific goals have you established for your career?
8. What will it take to attain your goals, and what steps have you taken toward attaining
them?
9. What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?
10. How do you determine or evaluate success? Give me an example of one of your
successful accomplishments.
11. Do you have the qualifications and personal characteristics necessary for success in your
chosen career?
12. What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
13. If you could do so, how would you plan your college career differently?
14. Are you more energized by working with data or by collaborating with other individuals?
15. How would you describe yourself in terms of your ability to work as a member of a team?
16. What motivates you to put fort h your greatest effort?
17. Given the investment our company will make in hiring and training you, can you give us a
reason to hire you?
18. Would you describe yourself as goal -driven?
19. Describe what you've accomplished toward reaching a rec ent goal for yourself.
20. What short-term goals and objectives have you established for yourself?
21. Can you describe your long-range goals and objectives?
22. What do you expect to be doing in five years?
23. What do you see yourself doing in ten years?
24. How would you evaluat e your ability to deal with conflict?
25. Have you ever had diffic ulty with a supervisor or instructor? How did you resolve the
conflict?
26. Tell me about a major problem you recently handled. Were you successful in resolving it?
27. Would you say that you can easily deal with high-pressure situations?
28. What quality or attribute do you feel will most contribute to your career success?
29. What personal weakness has caused you the greatest difficulty in school or on the job?
30. What were your reasons for selecting your college or university?
31. If you could change or improve anything about your college, what would it be?
32. How will the academic program and coursework you've taken benefit your career?
33. Which college classes or subjects did you like best? Why?
34. Are you the type of student for whom conducting independent research has been a
positive experience?
35. Describe the type of professor that has created the most beneficial learning experience
for you.
36. Do you think that your grades are a indication of your academic achievement?
37. What plans do you have for continued study? An advanced degree?
38. Before you can make a productive contribution to the company, what degree of training
do you feel you will require?
39. Describe the characteristics of a successful manager.
40. Why did you decide to seek a position in this field?
41. Tell me what you know about our company.
42. Why did you decide to seek a position in this company?
43. Do you have a geographic preference?
44. Why do you think you might like to live in the community in which our company is
located?
45. Would it be a problem for you to relocate?
46. To what extent would you be willing to travel for the job?
47. Which is more important to you, the job itself or your salary?
48. What level of compensation would it take to make you happy ?
49. Tell me about the salary range you're seeking.
50. Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince
someone to see things your way?
51. Describe an instanc e when you had to think on your feet to extricate yourself from a
difficult situation.
52. Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving
a problem.
53. By providing examples, convince me that you can adapt to a wide variety of people,
situations and environments.
54. Describe a time when you were faced with problems or stresses that tested your coping
skills.
55. Give an example of a time in which you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.
56. Describe a time when you had to use your written communication skills to get an
important point across
57. Give me a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy with which you did not
agree.
58. Give me an example of an important goal which you had set in the past and tell me about
your success in reaching it.
59. Describe the most significant or creative pres entation that you have had to complete.
60. Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to
get a job done.
61. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with
another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice
versa).
62. Sometimes it's easy to get in "over your head." Describe a situation where you had to
request help or assistance on a project or assignment.
63. Give an example of how you applied knowledge from previous coursework to a project in
another class.
64. Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your
ideas. What did you do?
65. Describe a situation in which you found that your results were not up to your profes sor's
or supervisor's expectations. What happened? What action did you take?
66. Tell of a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing his or her share
of the work. Who, if anyone, did you tell or talk to about it? Did the manager take any
steps to correct your colleague? Did you agree or disagree with the manager's actions?
67. Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or guide ot hers to a
compromise.
68. What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision.
69. We can sometimes identify a small problem and fix it before it becomes a major problem.
Give an example(s) of how you have done this.
70. In a supervisory or group leader role, have you ever had to discipline or counsel an
employee or group member? What was the nature of the discipline? What steps did you
take? How did that make you feel? How did you prepare yourself?
71. Recall a time from your work experience when your manager or supervisor was
unavailable and a problem aros e. What was the nature of the problem? How did you
handle that situation? How did that make you feel?
72. Recall a time when you were assigned what you considered to be a complex project.
Specifically, what steps did you take to prepare for and finish the project? Were you
 happy with the outcome? What one step would you have done differently if given the
chance?
73. What was the most complex assignment you have had? What was your role?
74. How was your transition from high school to college? Did you face any particular
problems?
75. Tell of some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes over which
you had no control. What was the impact of the change on you?
76. Compare and contrast the times when you did work which was above the standard with
times your work was below the standard.
77. Describe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your performance.
What did you do about it?
78. What are your standards of success in school? What have you done to meet these
standards?
79. How have you differed from your professors in evaluating your performance? How did
you handle the situation?
80. Give examples of your experiences at school or in a job that were satisfying. Give
examples of your experienc es that were dissatisfying.
81. What kind of supervisor do you work best for? Provide examples.
82. Describe some projects or ideas (not necessarily your own) that were implemented, or
carried out successfully primarily because of your efforts.
83. Describe a situation that required a number of things to be done at the same time. How
did you handle it? What was the result?
84. Have you found any ways to make school or a job easier or more rewarding or to make
yourself more effective?
85. How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.
86. Tell of a time when your active listening skills really paid off for you - maybe a time when
other people missed the key idea being expressed.
87. What has been your experience in giving present ations? What has been your most
successful experience in speech making?
88. Tell of the most difficult customer service exp erience that you have ever had to handle --
perhaps an angry or irate customer. Be specific and tell what you did and what was the
outcome.
89. Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along
with. Why was this person difficult? How did you handle that person?
90. Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who didn't like you.
How did you handle it?
91. Give me a specific example of something you did that helped build enthusiasm in others.
92. Tell me about a difficult situation when it was desirable for you to keep a positive attitude.
What did you do?
93. Give me an example of a time you had to mak e an important decision. How did you make
the decision? How does it affect you today?
94. Give me an example of a time you had to persuade other people to take action. Were you
successful?
95. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult person. How did you handle the
situation?
96. Tell me about a time you had to handle multiple responsibilities. How did you organize
the work you needed to do?
97. Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision, but didn't have all the information
you needed.
98. What suggestions do you have for our organization?
99. What is the most significant contribution you made to the company during a past job or
internship?
100. What is the biggest mistake you've made?
101. Describe a situation in which you had to use reference materials to write a
research paper. What was the topic? What journals did you read?
 102. Give me a specific example of a time when a co-work er or classmate criticized
your work in front of others. How did you respond? How has that event shaped the way
you communicat e with others?
103. Give me a specific example of a time when you sold your supervisor or professor
on an idea or concept. How did you proceed? What was the result?
104. Describe the system you use for keeping track of multiple projects. How do you
track your progress so that you can meet deadlines? How do you stay focused?
105. Tell me about a time when you came up with an innovative s olution to a
challenge your company/class/organization was facing. What was the challenge? What
role did others play?
106. Describe a specific problem you solved for your employer or professor. How did
you approach the problem? What role did others play? What was the outcome?
107. Describe a time when you got co-work ers or classmates who dislike each other
to work together. How did you accomplish this? What was the outcome?
108. Tell me about a time when you failed to meet a deadline. What things did you fail
to do? What were the repercussions? What did you learn?
109. Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a co-worker or classmate
understand a task. How did you assist him or her? What was the result?

One last great tip about the actua l inte rvie w: ALWAYS end the inte rvie w
with, "I am very inte rested in the position. What are the next steps to
take?" Boy, are you eager. They'd be luc ky to have you!

Send a thank-you lette r

The very day of the interview - not the next day or the day after that - send out a
thank you letter to your interviewer. The letter should be a simple note thanking that
person for taking the time to meet you, saying how much you enjoyed your
discussion, and how much you'd like to join the team. It doesn't hurt to add a
personalized sentence such as: Your explanation of the company's _________
increased my interest in the position. Whatever your own personal style may be,
make sure to say, "thanks for meeting with me and imparting your wisdom." And
make sure to have it in the mail ASAP so it is sitting on your interviewer's desk when
he/she sits down to make a decision. Also, remember to send a note to everyone
who gave you a formal interview, not just to one person. A group of people that
want you can hold sway.